Decorated Sugar Cookies

I finally did it!  I made some super cute decorated sugar cookies!! This has been on my “to do” list for a really long time.  I finally took the plunge and I think they turned out great.  I can’t believe that I waited so long to give this a try.  They weren’t near as hard to make as I had imagined.  I used Our Best Bites cookie and icing recipe.  I thought their glace icing would be easier to work with (since I wasn’t doing anything complicated) and taste better than royal icing.

Today is my Dad’s birthday.  We celebrated last weekend and I was in charge of the birthday cake.  I made a lemon pie for his “birthday cake”, but I wanted something that was more birthday-ish.  These cookies sure did fit the bill.  The best part about the cookies? They tasted AMAZING!  According to Chicken Legs, a bonafide cookie connoiseur, these cookies are the best he has ever eaten.  He said they are better than bakery cookies.  (He would know!) 

I had such a good time making the cookies that I bought three more cookie cutters this weekend.  I bought an ice cream cone, dragonfly and a flower.  I am about to become a cookie making machine!

Sugar Cookies
adapted from Our Best Bites
(Printable Recipe)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ tsp almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.

Roll dough between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper and then place on a flat surface in the fridge. Chill for about 20-30 minutes and then start cutting out cookies.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes – just until the bottoms start to brown. (This will depend on how big your cookies are) Remove from oven, allow to cool completely. You may frost them at this point or store them in the freezer until you are ready to decorate them.

Glace Icing

• 1 lb powdered sugar (about 3 ¾ cups)
• 6 Tbsp whole milk
• 6 Tbsp light Corn Syrup
• 1 tsp almond extract

With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth. Then stir in corn syrup and extract.

You will use this same recipe for both glazing and piping. Take your glazing icing and separate it into bowls if you want to color it.

The way it is right now is the consistency you want for glazing. It’s smooth and thin. It easily runs off the whisk in a pretty thin drizzle.

To prepare the icing for piping, you just add more powdered sugar until it is hard to whisk.